2025 Brewers Minors/Prospects thread - Andrew Fischer - FRP

[ReasonablySober]

Aww, dang.

[trwi7]

THANK JEEBUS ORIOLES

[ReasonablySober]

Dodged a bullet.

[wichmae]

Please no Waldrep

[wichmae]

Meh

[ReasonablySober]

Huge power.

[MVP2110]

This seems very against their typical profile

[wichmae]

Bat to ball lacks, big power, has a bit of swing and miss, but has good zone recognition. Not a great athlete.

[Thunder Muscle]

Kind of feels like a huge boom or bust pick. But admittedly I dont know a ton about him. Seems like huge power guy. MLB network didnt dive into him much as had an interview and moved to next pick.

[ReasonablySober]

BA:

Scouting Report: Wilken ranked as the No. 354 prospect in the 2020 class out of high school, when scouts saw him as a power-hitting righthander who had a chance to develop 70-grade power in the future. Those evaluations were prescient, and Wilken made it to Wake Forest where he has become a massive 6-foot-4, 225-pound slugger and one of the preeminent home run hitters in college baseball. Wilken has amassed 71 home runs over three seasons, with a .299/.419/.679 career slash line over 173 games. During his 2023 draft season, he hit over .300 for the first time in his career, set Wake Forest’s single-season home run record with 31, became the career home run leader for the program and finished No. 2 in the country for total home runs. Wilken has 70-grade raw power. He can launch a baseball out of any park, from foul pole to foul pole, and in 2023 he posted a 94.6 mph average exit velocity and 108.1 mph 90th percentile exit velocity. That power does come with questions about his pure hitting ability, though Wilken in 2023 attempted to answer those questions by hitting for the highest average of his career, nearly doubling his walk rate from 2022 and significantly improving his contact vs. sliders—which he previously whiffed on at an alarming rate. Wilken has some tools that could play nicely at third base, including fine hands and a 60-grade throwing arm, but his lateral mobility is a question, he struggles to stay low to the ground at times and he’s also a well-below average runner. There’s plenty of first base-only risk here, though he has more than enough power for that slide down the defensive spectrum.

Fangraphs

Wilken has plus-plus present raw power and has hit several balls harder than 115 mph during his career at Wake, and he generates that power with a comically simple swing. He's an extremely patient hitter who rarely chases, and most of Wilken's whiffs come against sliders that finish in the strike zone but that he simply can't reach. Overall his contact ability is a tad shy of average right now, and will probably trend down as he climbs the minors. But Wilken's selectivity and the lift in his swing help ensure that he'll get to all of his power in games, and his on-base skills help his offensive profile float enough that he could be an everyday third baseman. Wilken has big raw arm strength but his size and stiffness aren't a clean fit at third base in the big leagues, where he's measured against the Matt Chapmans and Nolan Arenados of the world. He'll need to work to stay as agile and mobile as possible to avoid a shift to first.

Law

Wilken had an extended slump in ACC play this year that might push him out of the first round, finishing the year with a .269/.493/.548 line in conference that was a huge improvement from where he was just three weeks earlier. He has a very good swing with great balance and excellent hip rotation, showing 55 power right now, with improved exit velocities down the stretch and one of the best barrel rates among college prospects in the draft class. He’s at least a solid-average defender at third with a 55 arm and good instincts that make up for a lack of speed or lightness on his feet. I could see him getting to 25-plus homers, or staying more in the teens in home run output with a high average and a lot of doubles, either of which would make him a solid regular at third.

[wichmae]

Definitely don’t hate it. It’s not a bad pick at all.

[Brewster]

Kind of feels like a huge boom or bust pick. But admittedly I dont know a ton about him. Seems like huge power guy. MLB network didnt dive into him much as had an interview and moved to next pick.

I really hate how they did that. Just ignored our pick like it was nothing.

[trwi7]

Disappointing Head got picked. I was hoping he'd get to 33 so I could post "Give me Head."

[wichmae]

Soto, Kuehler, and Hurley all got linked to us at 33 leading up.

[wichmae]

Kuehler is a spin rate dream

[Thunder Muscle]

Kind of feels like a huge boom or bust pick. But admittedly I dont know a ton about him. Seems like huge power guy. MLB network didnt dive into him much as had an interview and moved to next pick.

I really hate how they did that. Just ignored our pick like it was nothing.

Agreed. It was like 1 minute, if that, of discussion.

[ReasonablySober]

Mets get punished for overspending, get Houck anyway.

[ReasonablySober]

Double up at 3B and take Morales. Come on.

[wichmae]

HS righty. Wow.

[ReasonablySober]

Josh Knoth, prep RHP.